Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Ruggles Grill in Houston

My son and I had a wonderful dinner last night at a restaurant in Houston that I have loved for many years.

The restaurant is called Ruggles Grill.

I lived in Houston in the 1980's and early 1990's and discovered this lovely restaurant when I was working as a legal secretary in downtown Houston.

Many of the attorneys in the law firm I worked for used to have dinner at Ruggles Grill. Sometimes, we would celebrate birthdays at the restaurant. The food was always delicious and is still owned and operated by the same person...the creative and talented Chef Bruce and his beautiful wife...

I fell in love with this restaurant in the early 80's, and it continues to be one of my very favorite places to dine in the Houston vicinity.The restaurant is located in a building that used to be an older home. The home was quite charming on the inside.

The restaurant is divided up into different sections throughout what used to be the historic home. The photo you are going to see next with the painted sky is the dining area that also contains the bar.

I love the atmosphere of the bar area because it has a beautiful hand-painted ceiling with a sky, clouds and cute characters with a Texas flair.

Here, you can see little sea turtles riding sea horses. The turtles are dressed as cowboys...

Here is a closeup of some detail in the ceiling...

I love the small stained glass windows at the top of the ceiling in the photo above...

Here is a closer view of the stained glass windows...

Another closeup of a painted character on the ceiling in the bar/dining area section...

For dinner, we selected a Malbec red wine...

And our entree was chicken with cheese and spinach and a medley of fresh veggies...

My son and I love the vegetable selection that comes with the dinners. You have a little bit of everything! So good! Then, after dinner---

we had a nice warm cappuccino and a wonderful meringue. Great way to end a fabulous meal... Next, are some other dining sections of the restaurant.

I love this room with the painting of the fish and the portrait. I believe the portrait might be a painting of Chef Bruce's wife. The light streaming through the stained glass gives the room a nice ambiance...

I enjoyed having dinner with my son last night. It was great having a nice meal and chatting about his upcoming wedding which will be in November. He has a sweet and beautiful fiance that I adore. They make a great couple, and we already consider her part of our family. While at the Ruggles, my son and I took a look at one of the private rooms at the restaurant and are considering Ruggles as a place for our rehearsal dinner. We know the food will be great!

My son knows that Ruggles is one of my very favorite restaurants, and so he plans for a nice dinner at the restaurant one night each time I visit him. He loves Ruggles as well, and it is a great time for us to chat and enjoy a nice evening together. I love to visit my son and wish we lived closer! It is great to spend time with my children. I enjoy spending time with my son who is away at college in Washington State as well. I am blessed!

After a great dinner and taking a look at a possible room for a rehearsal dinner in a few months, it was time to have the valet bring our car and head back to my son's place. Tomorrow will be my last day in the Houston area. I hope you have enjoyed some of the places I have shown you while I have been visiting my son in Houston. It has been fun, and I have really enjoyed spending time with my son, his fiance, and her family. I am happy my husband was able to accompany me on this trip. Today, I am visiting with one of my dear friends. We have been friends for several years, and I look forward to seeing her.

Thank you for being a part of my visit to Houston...

I hope that if you are ever in the Houston vicinity, that you will be sure to visit Ruggles Grill. Say hi to Chef Bruce and keep an eye out for a Houston sports celebrity... Many of the ball players love to eat at Ruggles and dine there frequently. My son and I saw basketball player, Clyde Drexler having dinner at Ruggles one evening a couple of years ago and were honored to meet him outside the restaurant. He was very gracious to us... Thank you, Clyde!

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Hi Kim, I love the stained glass windows in this restaurant they are beautiful I have always wanted a stained glass window in my bathroom and kitchen maybe one day I will. I would like to wish you and your family a safe and blessed Easter. Trish xox ;)

Hi Trish,
I love stained glass, too! I have a window that I will post about this week. I brought the stained glass piece from Houston to Florida with me. Now it is in my living room in Washington. I just love the light streaming through stained glass. I hope you do find a lovely piece to go in your own window one day. You will love it! Thank you for the nice comments and I wish you and your family a very blessed and happy Easter! (((hugs))) xoxo Kim